The Croft Preparatory School

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1 Financial Controller September 2018

2 The Croft Preparatory School A message from the Headmaster: I am delighted that you are taking the time to find out more about joining The Croft family. Here at The Croft Preparatory School we value personal qualities as well as the ability to uphold academic excellence. We are looking for someone with enthusiasm and energy, someone who can inspire, motivate, develop and innovate. We believe that The Croft is a special place, where children s minds are engaged, their curiosity encouraged, their imagination ignited and their lives enhanced. If you believe that you could embrace the ethos of this traditional, but forward thinking, family school and play a part in moving it on to even greater things, then we would like to meet you. This pack can only give you a glimpse of our wonderful school; however I hope it conveys the exciting opportunities offered here at The Croft. Marcus Cook Headmaster

3 The School The Croft Preparatory School is an independent co-educational day school for children from 3 to 11 years old, situated in a beautiful 30-acre site, in the heart of the Warwickshire countryside, on the outskirts of Stratford upon Avon. The school has benefited from a considerable amount of capital refurbishment over the last decade, with Mundell Court, a purpose built teaching space to house the IT suite as well as dedicated classrooms for Design Technology, PSHE and Mathematics, opening in 2009 and a 600 seat Theatre and fully equipped Sports Hall opening in March The 30-acre site provides an extensive sports field and multiple outdoor learning areas with Forest School sessions incorporated into the curriculum for all Early Years and some Pre-Prep pupils. Class sizes are traditionally limited to 20 pupils. The whole school was inspected by ISI in June 2015, and was awarded Outstanding in all areas. The latest inspection reports are available at the following link In June 2018 we successfully met all eight standards of the regulatory compliance inspection, with no further action required. The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

4 The Position An exciting permanent full time opportunity to assist the Business Manager in the operational aspects of both school and business finances. At the beginning of the 2017/18 academic year a new staffing structure was introduced, designed to improve educational outcomes for children through a progressive dynamic curriculum, with clear communication lines between home and school, as well as providing improved career progression opportunities for teaching staff. Five faculties were created, namely Language, STEM, Humanities, Emotional and Physical Development and Creative Arts. The Financial Controller will report to the Business Manager and will work closely with the Accounts Manager on a daily basis. We are developing a Growth Mindset ethos for all. Therefore we expect all staff to have the enthusiasm and ability to inspire, motivate, develop and innovate, together with the desire to make a difference. The Croft Preparatory School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Applicants must be prepared to undergo appropriate child protection screening, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. The school is an equal opportunities employer. The school is a member of IAPS.

5 Job Description JOB TITLE: Financial Controller REPORTING TO: Business Manager JOB PURPOSE: To assist the Business Manager in the operational aspects of both school and business finances KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: Assist in preparation of forecasts for the future financial performance of the School, including cash flow; usually over a period of three to five years for approval of the Business Manager Prepare and present financial reports and audit information, as required Support the preparation of plans for capital expenditure on short and long term projects Monitor all income and expenditure relating to internal budgets, keeping budget holders informed of their balances and committed expenditure To be responsible for ordering supplies, resources and services, and to undertake associated order and invoice processing Assist and support the School s Accounts Manager in recording, coding and authorizing the payment of purchase invoices Develop and implement comprehensive and robust financial procedures and policies Manage the fee system, including the school fee plan and the Nursery Education Funding Prepare pupil fees termly, accounting for pupil charges in arrears, collecting fees and banking income Manage queries about fees in a prompt and efficient manner Deal with the collection of fees which are overdue in line with the School s Fee Recovery Policy and Procedures Administer the annual fee increase and communication Provide cover and checking of all matters relating to Payroll including PAYE, National Insurance, Childcare Vouchers & other legislative requirements Provide cover to administer the School s pension scheme payments for teaching and non-teaching staff, liaising with the Pension Scheme Administrators with regards to the update of employee details, monthly reconciliation of payment schedules, pension reforms and any other legislative requirements Administer financial aspects of all School residential trips and keep detailed records for audit Assist in budgeting and managing the staff training and development programme; controlling budget and maintaining a register of training Manage the relationship and contracts with all external providers of goods and services

6 Ensure that the School has adequate insurance cover at all times to include Employer s Liability, buildings and equipment cover, personal accident, travel insurance and other relevant cover Ensure that all agreed plans and operations function effectively within the budget Manage staff accommodation ensuring that the appropriate leases, agreements and licenses to occupy are signed by the tenants This list of responsibilities is not exhaustive and the employee may be required to perform duties outside of this brief as is operationally required and at the discretion of the Business Manager and/or Headteacher.

7 Person Specification Qualifications and Training Essential Attributes Desirable Attributes An accounting qualification (AAT) or knowledge of basic accounting concepts Experience Experience of Financial Accounting and practical operation of accounting systems e.g. MIS, SAGE Experience of working with Microsoft packages, EXCEL spreadsheets similar Professional Knowledge and Understanding department Must have a good standard of numeracy Knowledge of the principles and methods of book-keeping and their adaptation to various purposes, including the preparation of final accounts Knowledge of procedures at meetings notices, agenda, minutes, conduct of meetings and secretarial practice Skills and Abilities Have excellent financial, office, ICT and communication skills Able to work under pressure in an organised manner Ability to set clear objectives and work to them A strong team player and leader Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build and maintain positive working relationships with school staff and parents. Personal Qualities Hard working with high expectations Approachable and empathetic Enthusiastic and resourceful Exemplary personal and professional integrity and loyalty, maintaining the ethos of the school Similar experience in a previous School environment Knowledge of legislative and statutory requirements relating to Finance Some knowledge of the law and practice relating to Income Tax, PAYE, benefits in kind A working knowledge of the law with regard to parental contracts, leasing of school properties and landlord responsibilities, employment legislation, commercial law covering such matters as contracts, copyright and data protection Ability to produce budgetary estimates, reports, cash flow and financial and statistical summaries Ability to draw up specifications for general repairs, minor alterations and decorations and, if the work is done by direct labour, to make estimates of cost.

8 Further details Hours of work Full time hours (40 hours per week) 8.30am-4.30pm or 9am to 5pm (paid lunch break) Salary Competitive. Salary will be discussed with the successful applicant Benefits School s pension scheme Death in Service Staff car park Cooked lunch on the school premises during term time Holiday 24 days plus bank holidays (4 days to be taken during school closure) Application Deadline 30 September 2018 Interviews 5 October 2018 Application Form The Croft Application Form must be completed in full before the application can be considered. Any discrepancies or anomalies in the information provided or issues arising from references will be discussed at the interview. Completed application forms can be ed to jobs@croftschool.co.uk or returned via post. Address The Croft Preparatory School, Alveston Hill, Loxley Road, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire CV37 7RL If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the school on or by to jobs@croftschool.co.uk